Golf club head with weight adjustment



June 12, 1956 A N CLARK 2,750,194

GOLF CLUB HEAD WITH WEIGHT ADJUSTMENT Filed Jan. 24, 1955 United StatesPatentt()j .GOL'F CLUB 'HEAD WITH WEIGHT ADJUSTMENT Austin N. Clark,Winnetka, Ill. Application January 24,'1955,-Serial l\lo.4 483,598

7 Claims. Y(Cl. 273-171) 'I`This .invention pertains-'generally to golfclubs and -particularly to a new and improved;c.onstruction,for

wooden club headsembodyingtmeans for adjusting the weight and vbalancethereof.

' From early timesin thegameeofpgolf, it. has been the practice ofclubmakers to` add orfsubtract weights to the headsof wooden f golfclubs to accommodate individual '.tastes and .playing habits of ,theusers.

Generally the manufacturer attempts toproduce a standard .or normal.weight for the` particular'wood inquestiorrand usually providesindividual weight adjustment by boring aV hole .orholes-in thehead andllling the same with lead plugs, etc. Therek are'serious objections to;this practice, chiefly `due to -the'diffculty and inconvenience of`adjusting the club weights'to meet individual. needs. Each set of clubsis usually factoryA customized. and the addition ofllead plugs'intheghead' ofthe .club is accomplished bytapping the plugs into boreholes. The ,tappedplugs have a ytendency tofworkiloose after a' time andbecome lost in use. Y

vThe present invention is intended primarily to presenta new andimproved means foradding or subtracting `weights tothe head of a golfclubgparticularlythe wood clubs., Whichmakes it possible for theindividual to .regulate the weight andbalance of hisgolfcl'ubs himselfor to i havethem adjusted in his local pro-shop totmeet his ownparticular needs and desires. Means are provided in the Limproved,weight adjustment. Vsystem `of this 'invention topreventthe rattling orloss of weights andthe entire means is embodied in a; uniqueihousing`arrangement withinjthe club head which eliminatesany unsightliness ordetraction .from the vfine workmanship normally atwoods` in sucha mannerthateach player'may easily custom lit and-weighthis ownY golf clubs.

J The above` and Zfur'therfobjects, features and advantages of thisinvention will be apparent `to'thosefskilled inthe Aart:l from 'thefollowingfdetailed descriptionand fspecilication^ofzitsiembodirnentsrsetforth inthe accompanying drawings.

y.Inrthe drawings:

Figure. l is aside elevational view of atypical-wood golf club :headembodying .the features of myv invention;

.'Figure- 2l isa front end. elevational view. vlooking at ftheclubfheadillustrated in Figure l; Y

Figure: 3.is= as cross-sectional. viewtakenmsubstantially ice `2 alongline 3-1-,3 of YFigure 1 for showing'the assemblyof '.the .improvedweight adjustment means of this invention;

Figure 4..is a partial. cross-sectional View taken substantially at line4-.-4 of Figure 3;

'Figure 5. is a longitudinal cross-sectional View, similar to Figure 3,showing a modified form of adjustment housing and assembly combining theconcepts of this .in- -Vention;

Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional ,showing ofthe deviceinFigure`5, illustrating the alternate positioning ofthe spring and weightsystem therein; and

;Figure7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken subjstantially at lineV7`7 of Figure 6 to illustrate the cross- .sectional configuration andformation. of the modified construction shown in Figures vSand 6.

Turning now to the Vdrawings -it willbe recognized best from Figures- 1and 2 that a wooden golf club head `10 is fitted with the usual sole.plate. 11 which laysalong .the bottom face of the club head.,and`extends substantially' fromA a hitting or forward face. 12 thereof toits rearward face .or heel v13. A heel plate 14, suitably Ycontouredtorneet the configuration of rear face 13 -is -tlittedand formed vforreception in a recess formedin the rear' face 13. Screw means. 15,. or4the like, are. employed to,attach the heel plate 14 in position andVsimilar screw members, not illustrated, are employed to.attach thesoleplate 11to .the headof the golf clubinitheusual .mannen l In. ,externalappearance `the elements described 4so .far do .not differ .materiallyfrom .corresponding -elements presently employed in golf club heads ofthis class. TThe V.distinction-of ,this'inventiom however, is bestillustrated inFigLlres. 3 -and 4 of the'drawingsinwhichthe heel plate14,.-is...shown, as. cast forformed -integrally .with a tray .member2.0.which is insertablein a'blind cutout,.or,hol .low,21 vofsubstantially..rectangular configuration `formed in the head member.1t). fInl particular, Vthe'tray member l2ll. comprises an.upper wall:22, a pair'of parallelside Twalls23l23 (seeA Figure 4) anda pair ofend-Walls .24 and..25. lwhich --are respectively. .provided .withlocating lugs 26 and.` 27. .It will be understood thatthe. severalr.walls of ,the .tray member are interjoined and .preferablycastor-'formed.integrally with the heel plate 14. VAj-pair ^of webwallsl,l 28 extend fromthev one end..wall.25.as ',continuationsofthe.side walls. 2310 join -the.heel.plate 14. .with the `tray;..such,webwalls fbeing. substantially triangular in shapeasbest seenin Figure.3. kThe forward endtwall.24,.inadditionto having. the lug 26; .is:alsoprovided. with.. a .lip 30; projecting: in an. opposite .directionirom.lug,26. iThis.1ip has'aforwardedge which-issuitably `formedatanangle to forman .inclinedplane-or wedge face 31. This face 31 isreceived underneathV an .overhanging .inclined` Iportion of.. aV wedge`lug 32 which may.,be..cast integrallvwith. the sole plate- 11 :orfixed,theretoas byf a rivet-member 33, asshowmor by welding or` othersuitableconnectivemeans;

Itwill r.berecognized thatV when ltheheel plate-14. and attached.trayffrnemberl) .areinserted `in. openinge21 .formed-inthe club'headftheextending lip30 within- .clined wedge Vface 31 engages the underface ofthe y.overhanging .wedgelug 32 to securelyV hold 'the -tray in place.-Notefthat the inclineof face 31 doesnt match theundercut ,ofalugs 32;.thus endwisel interference-of `lip `30 Ywithlug .32 aisprevented-whenscrews, 15 are 3 tightened; Thelocating and holding function of thelugand the lipijust described is especially designed lto 'cooperate(withmthe .employment of the holding screws` 15,101' theV likewsothatthe tray..means `will be'rigidlyr-locked'infthe club V.-headin itsfinal assembly.

f- In Figure -3 fitwill.-beaseenfthat'fthelocating-lugs -and.f v27 ron1' -.the- .twor end-f Iwall portions s; 24 fand .25=are designedespecially to coaxially locate substantially square weight members 3Sand a spring member 36. Particularly, one or more weights 35 may beemployed and inserted in the interior of the tray member 20; suchweights each being formed with an extending lug portion 37 and a hollowcorrespondingly located and designed to mate with the lug portion 37 ofan adjacent weight so that the same may interlock with each other. Theweight 35 placed adjacent the wall 24 will, of course, lock and locatecoaxially with the extending locating lug 26 formed on such wall. Acompression coil spring 36 is employed between the weights 35 and thesecond end wall 25; this spring locating itself on the lug 37 of thelirst weight and projection 27 of end wall 25. The spring, of course,serves to keep the weights in place and prevent their rattling. It willbe recognized that variations in the Weight of the club head may beeasily accomplished by the removal or addition of the individual weights35 to fit the particular needs of the player.

In Figures 5, 6 and 7 I have illustrated a modified form of tray member20a which features certain improvements as will now be described.

The head member 10 of Figure 5 is equipped with the modified tray membera as mentioned hereinabove. Such tray member is substantially the sameas tray 20 heretofore described except that the end wall a thereof isequipped with an enlarged and elongated locating stud 27a which acts asa centering guide and keeper for one end of a conical coil spring 36a.It will also be seen from Figure 7 that the upper wall 22a is formeddome-like on its interior face which mates with the matchingly shapedweights 35a. In regard to spring 36a it will be noted that the sametapers endwise so that the coils at one end thereof are smaller thanthey are at the other end. This configuration for spring 36a has beenfound satisfactory and especially desirable in certain instances, as forexample, that illustrated in Figure 6 wherein two of the four weights35a shown in Figure 5 have been removed. Normally, spring 36a isdisposed with the coils at its larger' end over projection 27a, as seenin Figure 5. With the removal of two of the weights it will beappreciated that the compression of spring 36a is considerablydecreased. This being the case, reversal of the spring, as shown inFigure 6, allows the smaller end portion 40 thereof to remain spacedfrom the end wall of the tray when such is engaged with the enlargedconical stud or guide 27a. This effectively provides sufcientcompression of the spring to accommodate the removal of the two weights.This function and feature is not possible with the cylindrical springand construction illustrated in the device of Figures 3 and 4.

It will also be noted that in the construction set forth in Figures 5, 6and 7, the locking lug 32a is formed integrally with the sole plate 11as opposed to the riveted construction seen in Figure 3 and described inconjunction with tray 20.

From the above it will be understood that I have set forth thestructural aspects of a new and improved adjustable weight systemconstruction for the head of a wood golf club which permits ready andeasy variation in the weight distribution and mass of the head to meetthe desires and playing habits of individual players. Due to the extremesimplicity of the construction it is obvious that even the mostamateurish mechanic may remove the holding screws 1S, so that either thetray element 20 or 20a, as the case may be, with attached back plate 14may be removed from the interior of the club head and the desired numberof weights removed or added as desired.

While I have illustrated and described the improvements as applied totwo variations of the same basic invention, it is obvious that numerousother changes, modifications and substitutions of equivalent materialsand constructions may be employed in carrying out the intentions andpurposes of this invention, without neces- 4 sarily departing from itsspirit and scope. As a consequence, it is not my intention that I belimited to the particular form and features of the device disclosed anddescribed hereinabove except as may appear in the following appendedclaims.

I claim:

l. Means for regulating the weight of a golf club having a wooden head,comprising, a sole plate fastened to the underface of said head, a blindchamber opening inwardly from the rearward face of said head andextending toward the front face thereof, said sole plate closing overthe bottom side of said chamber, a heel plate enclosing the open end ofsaid chamber, a tray member connected at one end to said heel plate andinserted axially into said chamber, plural weight members carried insaid tray member adjacent one end thereof, means removably interlockingsaid weight members, and spring means located between said weightmembers and the other end of said tray for resiliently biasing saidWeights tightly against one another.

2. Means for regulating the Weight of a golf club having a wooden head,comprising, a sole plate mounted across the lower face of said head, ablind chamber formed inwardly of the rearward face of said head andextending partially therethrough, said sole plate closing the bottomside of said chamber, a tray member insertable into said chamber, meansinterlocking said tray member with said sole plate, plural weightmembers carried within said tray, compressible spring means biasing saidweight members into tight engagement with one another and toward one endof said tray, and a heel plate fastened to the other end of said trayand arranged to cover over the open end of said chamber; said weightswithin said tray being selectively removable to vary the over-all weightand mass distribution of said head.

3.7Ir1 a golf club having a wooden head, a sole plate extending acrossthe lower face of said head, a chamber formed in said head closed at oneside by said sole plate and opening outwardly of the rear face of saidhead, a tray element having an open bottom wall insertable into saidchamber, means interlocking said tray and sole plate, compressive springmeans mounted axially with said tray, weight members removably held insaid tray between one end of said spring means and the one end of saidtray, a plate means fastened to the other end of said tray for closingthe open end of said chamber, and means attaching said plate means tosaid head thereby to tightly hold said tray in said chamber.

4. In a golf club having a Wooden head, a chamber formed inwardly of therearward face of said head and opening outwardly of the bottom facethereof, a sole plate extending across the bottom face of said head andclosing over the bottom side of said chamber, a tray elementregisteringly insertable endwise into said chamber, a heel plateattached to one end of said tray for closing over the open end of saidchamber, plural removable weight means carried Within said tray, meansinterlocking said several weight means, spring means within said trayfor biasing said weight means into tight adjacency and toward one end ofsaid tray, and means interlocking said tray with said sole plate.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4, including opposed axialprojections on the inside faces of said trays end walls, suchprojections coaxially aligning and holding said weights and springmeans.

6. Means for regulating the weight of a golf club having a wooden head,comprising, a sole plate fastened to the underface of said head, a blindchamber opening inwardly from the rearward face of said head, said soleplate closing over the bottom side of'said chamber, a heel plateenclosing the open end of said chamber, a. tray member connected to saidheel plate for insertion axially into said chamber, plural weightmembers carried in said tray member, means interlocking said weightmembers, and means for removably holding said weight members within saidtray.

7. A Wooden head for a golf club bearing a sole plate on its under face,a blind chamber opening inwardly from the rearward face of said head, atray means insertable in said chamber, plate means located at one end ofsaid tray means for enclosing the open end of said chamber when saidtray is inserted therein, removable adjustment weight means carriedwithin said tray, a pair of projection means formed on the inside endwalls of said tray, one of said projection means being used to locatesaid weights, and a conical coil spring means disposed between saidWeights and the other of said projection means to hold said weights inplace, said other projection means serving normally to center the largerend coil of said spring means in an engaged position with one of saidtrays end walls,

the reversal of said spring means to bring the smaller end coil thereofinto engagement with said other projection means serving to hold saidsmaller coil spaced from said one end Wall thereby compressing saidspring means suciently to accommodate removal of one or more of saidWeights without appreciably lessening the compressive hold of saidspring means on the weights remaining in said tray.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,167,387 Daniel Jan. ll, 1916 FOREIGN PATENTS 105,959 Australia Nov.25, 1938

